Mwinyi Sadallah
A well placed cabinet minister in Zanzibar has criticized recent demands by some quarters on the Mainland and Isles that the next Union president should come from Zanzibar.
He has come out clearly to blast the rotational Union presidency arrangement, saying the system threatens national cohesion.
Mohammed Abood Mohammed, the Minister of State in the Office of the Zanzibar Second Vice President said on Friday evening in an exclusive interview with the Guardian on Sunday in his Vuga area offices in the Stone Town.
The interview focused on forthcoming celebrations to mark the 48th anniversary of the Zanzibar Revolution to be marked on January 12.
The statement from the minister of State comes in the wake of demands by some Zanzibaris that the current Union President Jakaya Kikwete should be succeeded by a candidate from Zanzibar.
They claim that since Zanzibar and Tanganyika were united in 1964 to form Tanzania it was inconceivable for the Mainland side of the union to produce presidential candidates consecutively, from former President Benjamin Mkapa to the current president.
Minister of State Mohammed warned that the concept of rotating union presidency, if forcefully demanded, could become a sure reason for destabilization of the union.
It is dangerous to have a system of rotational union presidency because such an arrangement has high chances of negatively affecting national cohesion and splitting the components of the union, he said.
Minister Abood explained that the current system whereby the union presidential candidate is nominated by assessing his qualifications without being bothered by his origin should be sustained as it has helped forge national cohesion and the union at large.
Questioning this arrangement implies that the same problem will arise in Zanzibar, to demand a rotational Zanzibar presidency between Pemba and Unguja, he declared.
He said such ideas should never be allowed take prominence on grounds that they foment segregation, wrecking the foundations of the state. equality and national unity.
He also said considering the truth that Mainland Tanzania has more regions compared to Zanzibar some people might emerge demanding for the Union presidential candidate to come from their regions as well.
He said the current system of nominating union presidential candidates based on qualifications has enabled the country to have presidents who discharge their responsibilities without considering their areas of origin.
Abood, who is a CCM member, appears to differ with the First Zanzibar President Seif Sharrif Hamad who recently said there was pressing need for an explicit rotational union presidency system between Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania.
Addressing a public rally at Kindamaiti area in Zanzibar on Christmas Eve, the Isles opposition leader said under the current system of nominating the candidate for the union presidency it will take decades before getting a candidate from Zanzibar.
Speaking on the 48 years of the Zanzibar revolution the minister said during the period the union between Zanzibar and Tanganyika has forged national unity and strengthened ties among its people.
According to Abood, the union has helped to strengthen economic foundations as Zanzibar now with a population of about 1.2 million is now benefiting from the local market available on Mainland Tanzania with a population exceeding 40 million people.
However, he said as the nation prepares to write a new union constitution an opportunity should be availed to wananchi so that they debate about the kind of the document they would like to have for their benefit and future generations.
Hinting on his preference as far as the structure of the government was concerned Abood said he was still a staunch supporter of the two-tier system, saying such a structure has helped strengthen the union.

The issue of rotating presidency was killed in 2005. Those who are strong advocates of rotating the presidency esp from the isles side should remember the name Salim A. Salim. For not it is too late and the way things are going I do not see a Zanzibari succeeding JK.